If you have been approved for Social Security Disability benefits, your benefits check is likely a vital resource for ensuring your financial stability. Because of this, it is important to know when you should receive your check.
In previous years, all disability payments would arrive on the third Wednesday of every month. However, at the start of 2017, the Social Security Administration (SSA) changed its schedule for paying benefits. Now, your check may arrive on a different day depending on your birth date and the type of benefits you receive. This is just one of many changes implemented in 2017.
Disability Benefits Payment Schedule
After you have been approved for disability benefits, your first benefit will be paid for the sixth full month of your disability based on the date the SSA determines your disability began. Benefits will then be paid monthly on the month following the month for which they are due. For example, benefits due in December 2017 will be paid in January 2018.
The day of the month you receive your check will depend on the birth date of the beneficiary. If you are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) based on your own work record, you are the beneficiary and your payment date will depend on your birthday.
However, if you are receiving SSDI based on another’s record, the beneficiary will be the person who worked and paid into Social Security. In this case, whether you are a parent or spouse of the beneficiary, your payment date will be based on the beneficiary’s birth date.
Based on this, you can expect your disability payment on the:
- Second Wednesday: birthdays between the first and the 10th
- Third Wednesday: birthdays between the 11th and the 20th
- Fourth Wednesday: birthdays between the 21st and the end of the month
The SSA has a payments calendar that shows the exact date you can expect your payments.
You should keep in mind that if the payment date falls on a holiday, the SSA will attempt to send the check early to avoid days when mail is not distributed.
Additionally, this payment schedule means that the period between some payments will be longer than others. For example, the time between your November and December payments is one month and five days. Make sure to plan how you will spend your disability payments to take into account these longer time periods.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits Schedule
There are some exceptions to the recent change in the benefits payment schedule.
If you receive SSI, your monthly payments will be made on the first of the month. If the first falls on a weekend, you will receive your payment on the Friday before.
If You Were Receiving Benefits Before May 1997
Another exception to the rule is for those who were receiving disability benefits before May 1997. These individuals will receive their payments on the third of every month.
If the third falls on a weekend, you will receive your payment on the Friday before.
This rule also applies to those who are receiving both SSDI and SSI.
If you have been approved for disability but are not receiving your payments, or if your payments are incorrect, our disability advocates can help you file an appeal with the SSA and help you get the benefits you deserve.
Contact our SSDI attorneys located in Arizona for more information and to set up a free consultation. We do not get paid unless you get paid first.
Call 1-800-503-2000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form.